On a list with several choices for the Player of the Week, the two-game performance from Carroll's Lizzie Sheldon against a pair of Northwest Conference foes landed her the nod in a difficult decision that could have just as easily gone to the hat-trick performance of Boise State's Raimee Sherle or the two-game effort by Larkin Russell of Portland.
After returning from a tough trip to Canada with three shutout losses the sophomore got things going for the Saints with all three goals in an overtime contest against Whitman and then scored in another overtime affair as they fell to Whitworth, picked to finish third in their league this year.
On the men's side of things it was Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez (Pasco, WA / Walla Walla CC) earning the nod for Evergreen State for helping lead the Geoducks to a victory against a Whitman side that has been picked to win the Northwest Conference this season.
For games through Sunday, September 9
WOMEN
D - Maia Angell (Spokane, WA) - Hawaii Pacific :: Played all but six minutes in defense for the Sharks as they earned a 1-1 draw against second-ranked UCSD.
D - Shaelyn Jenkins (Pocatello, ID) - Weber State :: Started in defense for the Wildcats in a 1-0 win over Utah Valley and a 1-1 draw against UC Davis.
D - Mia Padon (Spokane, WA) - Army :: Played the full 110 minutes twice for Army as they played rival Air Force to a scoreless tie at West Point and Fairleigh Dickinson to the same result in New Jersey.
M - Katie Michkiosky (Wenatchee, WA) - Northwest :: Scored the opening two goals and added an assist in a 4-1 win at Central Washington.
M - Larkin Russell (Spokane, WA) - Portland :: Tallied a pair of assists to rally the Pilots to a 2-1 win against Utah Valley. She also scored the opening goal in a 2-0 victory against UC Irvine.
M - Madi Taylor (Lewiston, ID / Treasure Valley CC) - Northwest Nazarene :: Scored both goals in a 2-1 victory on the road against Northern State.
F - Lauryn Gamache - Rocky Mountain :: Scored a goal in a 3-2 loss at Westmont and played a role in all three goals in a 3-1 victory at Marymount, tallying two and setting up the final one. (St Louis, MO)
F - Harley Hendry (Hauser, ID) - Yakima Valley :: Scored for the Yaks in a historic 4-3 thriller at Walla Walla and tallied a last-minute equalizer for YVC in a 1-1 draw at Columbia Basin.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK :: F - Lizzie Sheldon - Carroll :: Scored all three goals in a 3-2 overtime win against Whitman Saturday and the lone Saints goal in a 2-1 overtime loss to Whitworth. (Camas, WA)
F - Raimee Sherle (Meridian, ID) - Boise State :: Scored all three goals in a back-and-forth 3-2 overtime victory at New Mexico State, becoming the first player in program history to record three hat-tricks. The junior is also now just two goals away from the all-time program record.
F - Summer Yates (Pasco, WA) - Washington :: Set up the equalizer and scored the game-winner in the final 10 minutes as the Huskies defeated Utah Valley 2-1.
MEN
G - Isaiah Damschen (Spokane, WA) - North Idaho :: Did not allow a goal in his half of play in a 1-1 draw against Treasure Valley and then posted seven saves in a 2-0 victory against Blue Mountain.
G - Bryan Hernandez (Spokane Shadow FT) - Humboldt State :: Made nine saves in a 3-0 victory against Concordia. (Lake Balboa, CA)
D - Austin Giftopoulos - Gonzaga :: Helped lead the Bulldogs to a 1-0 win against CSU Bakersfield after scoring the winning goal in the 21st minute. (Bellevue, WA)
D - Johan Martinez (Sunnyside, WA) - Walla Walla :: Scored the equalizer in stoppage time for the Warriors in a 3-2 win over Wenatchee Valley.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK :: M - Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez (Pasco, WA / Walla Walla CC) - Evergreen State :: Set up both goals in a 2-0 victory against Whitman College.
M - Travis Swallow (Coeur d'Alene, ID) - Seattle Pacific :: Scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory on the road against Point Loma.
F - Oscar Cortez (Pasco, WA) - Columbia Basin :: Scored the go-ahead goal for the Hawks and set up another as CBC defeated Wenatchee Valley 5-2.
F - Johan Espinoza (Wenatchee, WA) - Wenatchee Valley :: Scored twice to put WVC up 2-1 against Walla Walla before falling 3-2 on last-minute goals. Also scored a goal for the Knights in a 5-2 loss at Columbia Basin.
F - Diego Esquivel (Post Falls, ID) - CC Spokane :: Scored a goal in each game as Spokane defeated Blue Mountain 2-0 and Treasure Valley 3-0.
F - Ricardo Palomino - MSU Billings :: Scored the opening two goals in a 6-0 victory against Colorado Christian. (Puebla, Mexico)
F - Drew Williams (Spokane, WA) - Whitworth :: Scored twice in less than a minute for the Pirates' 5-1 win against Walla Walla.
About INWsn Best XI: Each week INWsoccernews will release lists of the week’s best performances for men’s and women’s soccer in the region, recognizing players at schools in the region or those from the area that play elsewhere in the nation. The list is extremely flexible and has no defined formation, despite featuring 11 players (when number of results/games allow). The Best XI was launched with the start of the site's collegiate coverage in 2012, continued through 2014 and was re-launched in 2017 after a two-year absence. The list is issued (typically) Wed-Fri during the college season.
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